The Character of Tarquin in Macbeth and Cymbeline The image of Tarquin as a man of vile deed becomes part of both Shakespeare's Macbeth and Cymbeline. When Iachimo emerges from a box in Imogen's bedroom, he speaks, and his words reflect the feelings not only of himself but of all the intruders in Shakespeare's works. Iachimo compares his actions to those of Tarquinius, a Roman tyrant who rapes the matron Lucretia. His violation of Imogen's bedroom while she sleeps is like rape to Iachimo. It violates his space and privacy. Similarly in the play Macbeth, Macbeth before killing Duncan invokes the image of Tarquin, "With Tarquin's enchanting steps towards, his design moves like a ghost. Thou safe and firm earth do not hate my steps" (2.1 .55-58). In both plays the use of Tarquin's image reveals fascinating complexities about Shakespeare's take on tradition; images of rapists and murders and reuses them to relate to the actions of the characters in the play. Invoking th...